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I think everyone has a different optimal balance. I prefer being in the office at least 4 days a week, while my head developer seems to excel at one day per wee

by thearn4 11y ago

I think everyone has a different optimal balance. I prefer being in the office at least 4 days a week, while my head developer seems to excel at one day per week, with others somewhere in between. I tend to get more distracted at home then most (I have a pretty large property that always has some kind of chore or new project to be worked on), but not everyone has this problem. I think the flexibility to find a happy equilibrium is the key ingredient. Hearing that some demand it be all-or-nothing is a bit puzzling to me. Though I have my suspicion that recent high profile moves to eliminate telecommuting (Yahoo and Reddit come to mind) were really just stealth layoffs. A way to reduce FTE through self-selection.

mttddd 11y ago
This, I think letting individuals/teams figure it out is the best option. Some projects, and even specific times within a project, call for being physically with the team and other times i am more productive being able to just focus on a task at home. Also I find that my time spent in the office depends on the season. During the Spring and Fall when it is a perfect temperature for being outside i love going into the office and being able to go out for a nice lunch outdoors somewhere with coworkers.
capabit 11y ago
There are definitely some of us whose balance leans toward "leave me the heck alone." I work at home in a rather remote location. I often don't see anyone besides my wife for weeks at a time. (and I love it).
manyxcxi 11y ago
Completely agree. I've worked every WFH arrangement possible: had an office in San Jose I'd visit once a month and worked from Portland the rest of the month, worked from home 50% and traveled 50% for consulting, worked from home 2-3 days a week, and now I technically work from home in the sense that our startup's HQ is in San Jose but I live in Seattle. As I have two kids under 3 1/2 and the home office is mid-conversion to toddler room to make way for the third- working from home is a no-go so I rent an office space in a Regus building (love it BTW and the price was surprisingly competetive to the other options). I miss the office environment and creative boost that checking into my last employer's office gave me. The employer before that? The space and people in it didn't do anything for me. I missing having some people around for the general BS coverslip a that get your juices flowing again but I wouldn't trade it for having a really nice office in a really nice building that is only 4mi from my house that I can ride my bicycle along a beautiful river bike path to get to. For me, I think it really boils down to who I'm working with. If the office space sucks or the people don't really do it for me in general, then I could be fine on my own. When I actually get some energy from the people in the office I desire to go in a certain amount because it provides a value, even if only emotional.

by thearn4 11y ago

mttddd 11y ago

This, I think letting individuals/teams figure it out is the best option. Some projects, and even specific times within a project, call for being physically with the team and other times i am more productive being able to just focus on a task at home. Also I find that my time spent in the office depends on the season. During the Spring and Fall when it is a perfect temperature for being outside i love going into the office and being able to go out for a nice lunch outdoors somewhere with coworkers.

capabit 11y ago

There are definitely some of us whose balance leans toward "leave me the heck alone." I work at home in a rather remote location. I often don't see anyone besides my wife for weeks at a time. (and I love it).

manyxcxi 11y ago

Completely agree. I've worked every WFH arrangement possible: had an office in San Jose I'd visit once a month and worked from Portland the rest of the month, worked from home 50% and traveled 50% for consulting, worked from home 2-3 days a week, and now I technically work from home in the sense that our startup's HQ is in San Jose but I live in Seattle. As I have two kids under 3 1/2 and the home office is mid-conversion to toddler room to make way for the third- working from home is a no-go so I rent an office space in a Regus building (love it BTW and the price was surprisingly competetive to the other options). I miss the office environment and creative boost that checking into my last employer's office gave me. The employer before that? The space and people in it didn't do anything for me. I missing having some people around for the general BS coverslip a that get your juices flowing again but I wouldn't trade it for having a really nice office in a really nice building that is only 4mi from my house that I can ride my bicycle along a beautiful river bike path to get to. For me, I think it really boils down to who I'm working with. If the office space sucks or the people don't really do it for me in general, then I could be fine on my own. When I actually get some energy from the people in the office I desire to go in a certain amount because it provides a value, even if only emotional.